"Wake Island must be won. We fought for victory on South Bird Island before, so this time Wake Island is no exception!"
Okada Keisuke said with confidence and brought up the Minamitori Island dispute a few years ago.
Minamitorishima, also known as Marcus Island, is a Japanese volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean and the easternmost of Japan's Pacific islands. The island is located at 24°18′ north latitude and 153°58′ east longitude, with an area of 1.2 square kilometers.
, the location is extremely important. It is 1,267 kilometers from the Ogasawara Islands, the nearest Japanese territory, to the west, 1,848 kilometers from Tokyo to the northwest, 1,415 kilometers from Wake Island to the southeast, and 1,021 kilometers from the Mariana Islands to the southwest.
In 1864, Americans first determined the location of the island, named it Marcus Island, and claimed ownership.
The Japanese discovered this island in 1868.
In 1879, the Japanese entered the island.
On June 30, 1896, the Japanese Mizutani Shinroku arrived on the island. At the same time, 46 people from the home island colonized the island and named the village "Mizutani".
On July 24, 1898, it was officially named "Minami Torishima" and placed under the jurisdiction of the then Ogasawara Branch Office of Tokyo Prefecture.
In 1902, the United States sent warships from Hawaii to try to gain sovereignty over the island. However, Japan also sent warships and took the lead in landing on the island to contain it. The two armies had small-scale conflicts on the island. In the end, the United States was forced to recognize the island as Japanese territory.
In the history of disputes between Japan and the United States over the Pacific Islands, Japan initially adopted an avoidance policy.
However, since its victory in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, Japan no longer had to worry about the threat from the mainland, and Japan began to have tit-for-tat disputes with the United States in the Pacific.
Japan once had an interest in the Hawaiian Islands, and there were many Japanese in the islands. Unfortunately, the United States acted first and created factual evidence, so it had no choice but to admit it.
Japan is extremely jealous of the United States' expansion in the Pacific. Especially after the Spanish-American War, the United States, which originally had no power in the Pacific, directly extended its tentacles to Japan's doorstep and occupied the Philippines.
The Philippines is a large archipelago rich in resources. It is ten miles ahead of Taiwan, and even compared with the Japanese mainland. Seeing the United States getting such a big advantage, the Japanese navy feels uncomfortable all the time. It does not want to expand its strength to check and balance the United States.
.
The United States and Japan have very close economic ties. Although Japan has risen rapidly since the Sino-Japanese War, it is still generally afraid of the United States.
The Japanese army is not afraid of the United States. That is because they are short-sighted and their confidence exploded after defeating Russia. They don't know how terrible the overall strength of the United States is. However, the Japanese navy and Japan's upper-class dignitaries know how terrible the United States is.
Japan relies heavily on the United States in its trade with the United States, especially in metal mines. Take steel as an example. Japan has been importing American scrap steel and scrap iron since very early on.
However, after the rise of Brazil and its evolved version of the Portuguese Empire, Japan found a larger and safer economic and trade partner. Tangning Pedro also deliberately attracted Japan and allowed Japan to develop Brazilian mineral deposits, which also provided great benefits in other trade.
Japan needs things from the United States, and as long as Portugal can satisfy them, Portugal will replace them. And if Japan wants to earn foreign exchange from going abroad to the United States, Portugal will also replace them.
Although Portugal has not yet become Japan's largest trading country, according to the rapid growth of trade between the two sides, it is not far away.
Portugal is an extremely safe and friendly country to Japan. The disadvantage is that it is far away, separated by the northern and southern hemispheres and the Pacific Ocean. However, distance brings beauty, and the interests do not conflict, so they are simply natural allies.
"Well, it seems that everyone's opinions are very unified.
Then our navy must go all out to capture Wake Island this time. This will be a major political achievement for our navy. Let the army be jealous!" Yamamoto Gonbei said happily.
As the first prime minister of naval forces in Japan, Yamamoto Gonbei certainly wanted to build up the reputation of the navy and use Wake Island to attack American forces in the Pacific while consolidating friendship with Portugal to get the best of both worlds.
"Wake Island, I remember that the United States has not deployed defenses yet, and there are no people there. We Japan occupied it first, which is an established fact.
I believe that the United States will not go to war with Japan over this island, but will only slowly argue with us about legal issues.
Regarding legal principles, it can be forged. How long has it been since the founding of the United States? How long has Japan existed? Can he be able to argue with us? At that time, the United States will only have to suffer this dumb loss.
Taking Wake Island to this important place will not only give us a strategic advantage, but also serve as a midpoint between us and Portugal in South America, so there will be no harm in doing anything."
Wake Island, longitude and latitude: 19 degrees 17 minutes north latitude, 166 degrees 36 minutes east longitude, consists of three small islands, land area: 6.5 square kilometers, there is a lagoon in the middle of the island, where ships can be berthed. It is located between Guam and Hawaii.
It is the intermediate station on the trans-Pacific route, therefore, it is also known as the "stepping stone" of the Pacific.
There are no inhabitants on Wake Island. A Spanish expedition first discovered the island in 1568. In 1796, British captain William Wake officially noted the island and named it after him. After that, the island was forgotten for a time.
, until it was rediscovered by the U.S. Navy in 1841. In 1899, the U.S. government officially claimed the island as its own.
Today, the United States has no construction on Wake Island and will have to wait for more than 20 years for development. In 1935, Wake Island was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy and a commercial seaplane base and hotel were established on the island to provide Pan American Airways across the Pacific.
passenger aircraft provide service.
There are very few historical records about Wake Island. The most recent record in the United States is only in 1841. Japanese fishermen were very active in the Edo period and discovered many islands, such as the Ogasawara Islands. They also fell to some islands due to some accidents.
Such as Hawaii.
If Japan forges legal principles, it is very simple. Just find an old fisherman family and do it.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, you are wise and powerful!" Seeing Yamamoto Gonbei's decision, everyone cheered in praise!
On April 18, a fleet headed by the meritorious cruiser Itsukushima of the Japanese Navy and supplemented by four frigates arrived at Wake Island and raised the Japanese flag to declare its occupation.
On April 19, major Japanese media trumpeted the Japanese navy's recovery of the lost territory of Wake Island, and the Japanese people cheered. At this time, the United States learned about the loss of Wake Island.
On the same day, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan protested against the Japanese government and ordered Japan to withdraw from Wake Island.
Facing the U.S. ambassador who knocked on the door aggressively, Japan threw out a stack of paper and proposed that Wake Island was actually called Saito Island, which was discovered and actually occupied by Japanese fisherman Saito Ichiro in 1707, and that the United States was the aggressor.
Japanese fishermen are indeed very active in the Pacific and often stop on some islands. When the United States expanded in the Pacific, it also expeled Japanese fishermen.
There are very few records related to Wake Island, and Japanese fishermen did fish near Wake Island. The U.S. Ambassador was also confused by Japan's raking over for a while.
However, the U.S. ambassador also pointed out that when the United States formally declared its sovereignty over Wake Island in 1899, no country raised objections.
Japan retaliated again, but Japan did not agree with it. At that time, Japan was busy with other affairs and did not notice the United States stealing residence and secretly sending information. It also claimed it later, but now it is just taking back it with practical actions.
When the United States and Japan were arguing over a small island, Portugal led a group of subordinates to support Japan, recognizing and congratulating Japan on its recovery of lost territory, while at the same time blaming the United States for unscrupulously annexing other countries' territories in the Pacific.
Portugal also specifically pointed out that the Kingdom of Hawaii was illegally annexed by the United States, and Portugal does not recognize the sovereignty of the United States over Hawaii.
As the Wake Island dispute has made waves in the international community, and after the United Kingdom also stood up for Japan, more and more countries have accused the United States of unreasonable hegemony in the Pacific.
Under pressure from all parties, the United States reluctantly announced that it would abandon Wake Island and recognize Japan's sovereignty. However, after recognition, the United States imposed a series of economic sanctions on Japan.
The Japanese government, which was sanctioned, was not timid. On the contrary, after tasting the sweetness, Yamamoto Gonbei took further bold actions and actually sent a fleet to Midway Island and stationed it on the ground on May 20, while once again announcing its recovery.
Lost ground.
The United States can give up Wake Island, but Midway Island is too close to Hawaii. Even if Japan comes up with a lot of legal principles, the United States cannot give in.
In order to show its determination to defend the colony and to express punishment and counterattack against Japan, the United States began to expel Japanese immigrants from Hawaii and at the same time sent additional troops to Hawaii.
The United States' violent expulsion of Japanese immigrants from Hawaii soon made headlines around the world. Public opinion around the world condemned the United States' unreasonable behavior. Among them, countries led by Portugal even proposed that the United States does not have sovereignty over Hawaii.
After receiving support from the mainstream of the world, Japan straightened its back and then occupied Midway Island and its affiliated islands. While the US troops were still on the way to send additional troops, Japan occupied Kauai Island, Niihau Island and other edges of Hawaii near Midway Island.
small island.
This chapter has been completed!